The Illinois high school baseball season kicks off on March 16, opening day for regular season action under IHSA regulations. Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2020 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, leading into a countdown through the official PBR Illinois Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2020 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Belleville West
Preseason Rank: On The Bubble
2019 Record: 27-8
Conference: Southwestern Conference
IHSA Class: 4A
Head Coach: Todd Baltz
Playoff Run: Sectional Semifinals appearance
2019 Final Rank: 20
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 3

OUTLOOK

The Maroons of Belleville West should have high expectations this spring after a 27-win 2019 including a Regional Championship. This spring the Maroons will have three senior left-handed pitchers to ride; Joey Kossina (SEMO commit), Josh Dima (Illinois State commit) and Logan Weaver (Lewis & Clark JC Commit). Kossina was the ace last spring but Dima, a transfer from Belleville Althoff, has the talent to compete for that title. Kossina is a competitive mid-80’s left-hander with a breaking ball to keep hitters off balance. Dima has one of the higher-ceilings of any arm in the class and it will be interesting to see how he fits in with the new squad this spring. Dima was up to 92 mph at this winter’s Super 60 with a late fading changeup and big-bending curveball. 

Positionally, they will miss Will Lanxon (Lindenwood commit) and Jeffrey Biermann (SWIC JC commit) to graduation but they should have a mix of juniors and seniors ready to step up. Senior OF Colin Shea (Lindenwood commit) and the aforementioned Dima, should fill spots in the outfield while juniors OF Connor Adams (Lindenwood commit), INF Ben Stedman and C Ryan Loeffler should be other key contributors for the Maroon offense.

If Dima can make a smooth transition to the new team this spring and some of the key juniors step up, the Maroons are set-up to be one of the tougher teams in Southern Illinois. Coach Baltz should have a team capable of making a run in late May.  

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

Josh Dima (2/2/20)

Make sure to follow @PBRIllinois on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2020 season.

Find more information on the 2020 Maroons below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Twitter

MORE ON THE BUBBLE